Cartoon Christmas Trio
The Cartoon Christmas Trio was started in 1995
by bassist Rob Swanson for the sole purpose of playing music from classic
Christmas cartoons, especially the music of Vince Guaraldi, the composer of the
"Peanuts" soundtracks. The first five Christmas seasons (1995-1999) had seen
the trio consistently sell out the former jazz club Bourbon Street Cafe, to rave
reviews from the Wilmington News Journal. The event was listed as one of the
"Top seven things to do the week before Christmas". (News Journal, Dec. 18th,
1998)
The trio is comprised of Jeff Knoettner on piano, Jackie Browne on drums,
and Rob Swanson on double bass violin. All members are professional, full time
musicians and educators in the Greater Philadelphia Region.
The music of Vince Guaraldi, in particular the soundtrack of the Peanuts
Christmas Cartoon, has become the best selling Christmas recording of all time.
The trio performs every song from this recording, using the exact instrumentation
that Guaraldi originally composed for. In addition to the Peanuts music, the trio
plays songs from "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas", "Rudolph the Red Nose
Reindeer", "Frosty the Snowman", and "The Little Drummer Boy", just to name a
few. So when the 63rd version of the Messiah has left you uninspired and you
are looking for a fresh alternative, come out at listen to the sounds of the Cartoon
Christmas Trio because after all, Christmas Time is here!
A product of the Berklee College of Music, this pianist, composer, and teacher
has performed in various festivals, including the Melon Jazz Festival, Clifford
Brown Jazz Festival, River Blues Festival, the New York State Blues Festival,
Cape May Jazz and Rehobeth Jazz Festivals, and the Kimmel Center for the
Performing Arts. Jeffʼs musical proficiency extends to playing the trumpet and
organ, composing and arranging. He has performed and recorded with numerous
groups, some being The Cartoon Jazz Trio, the jeffjazz trio, the Renaissance
Quintet, Arpeggio Jazz & Music Ensemble, the Val Ray Experience, Rob
Swanson, E. Shawn Qaissaunee, and the Tino Gonzales Band, which has
opened for blues legends B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Charlie Musselwhite.
Jackie Browne has played drums professionally for 35 years working primarily on
the east coast as one of the most successful independent Main-Line musicians.
Jackie has backed such notables as: Regis Philbin, Melba Moore
, Petula Clark,
Al Martino
, Rose Marie, The Four Acres
, Billy Eckstein, Julius LaRosa
,The Four
Lads
. Jackie works with his Jazz Ensemble developing music presentations for
special events, and radio, television productions.
He also enjoys conducting
clinics and private study. Jackie Browne over the years developed a unique style
of playing for venues that have a limited working space for the drummer. This
technique is displayed on his Instructional DVD.
Playing bass for over 30 years, Rob has made a name for himself as one of the
most versatile working bassists in the Philly metro area. Tripling on Electric,
Upright, and Vocals, Rob finds himself in up to 20 different musical configurations
on any given month, ranging from straight ahead bebop, groove, world, funk, and
rock. Rob has performed at venues across the globe and across the street
including The Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, The Carl Orff Stage at Gasteig in
Munich Germany, and The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival in Wilmington. A
graduate of the prestigious West Chester School of Music, Rob balances gigging
with a bit of teaching to forward the muse that was passed onto him at an early
age.
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